IMGCAP(1)]
France has awarded grants worth "several million euros" for 13 projects involving contactless technology, including Near Field Communication, according to press reports and a government statement. The grants were announced by Christian Estrosi, France's minister of industry and the mayor of Nice, a city set to see "precommercial" launches early next year of the short-range wireless technology for contactless payments, couponing and information downloads (CardLine Global, 12 June). The exact amount of funding was unclear Monday, and immediate comment from the French government was not available. The funding projects will include efforts to bring NFC ticketing to the Nice area; an effort backed by French card vendor Gemalto to enable cafeteria payments and building access for corporate employees; and an NFC campus card project at the University of Nice-Sophia Antipolis, according to United Kingdom-based Near Field Communications World and other sources. Transit agencies, retailers, issuers, mobile-phone operators and other organizations have conducted dozens of NFC tests around the world, and some observers expect the first large rollouts in 2010.
